Link Parties And Updating Directory

I am currently going through the process of updating my link party directory.  If you host a party or know of a party that is not included in my directory, you can send me an email to renee.rustic.crafts@gmail.com and I will gladly add it in.

You can click the link party directory tab at the top of the page for the current listing.  There are some great parties listed that you will want to check out!  It is always inspiring just to see what other people are creating or cooking up.

This week is also the third week of the new Saturday Shabby Shares link party that I am hosting over at Rustic Crafts.  The party will now be running every week from Friday noon until the following Tuesday.  So, start linking up your crafts, home decor and recipes now!

My Brass Mirror Makeover

Way back in the eighties when brass was in fashion, we received a great round brass mirror as a wedding gift.  This mirror has traveled from house to house with us, not always finding a place for display.

We have a large corner tub in our current master bath that was in need of something on the wall above it.  I figured that the mirror would be perfect accept that I really didn't like the brass. 

I had just made some curtains for the windows that had some fun copper and silver colors in them that I thought would be great in the mirror.  Since I didn't want one solid color, I decided to use a combination of metallic paints to complement what was in the curtain fabric.

I rubbed on a copper colored paint as well as a silver and then sanded the paint totally off in some places to let just a touch of the brass show through.  The resulting look blends nicely with the curtains I think.

Here is the full picture of the corner:

Now onto the next project!







Link Up Your Posts To Be Featured On Friday!

I love participating in Linky parties and seeing all of the great ideas everyone has.  Each Friday, on my website Rustic Crafts, I feature one post, in full, on the front page.  Once the weekend is over, the excerpt will still be listed and the post will fall under the Friday Features category.  I get my features from the links that have been submitted to my link directory throughout the week.

If you have a diy decorating post, craft tutorial, recipe or any other relatable link that you would like to have featured, then submit your links here.

The Friday Features were just started on Rustic Crafts on April 22, 2011.  Make sure to check out the past features!

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A Highlight Of Some Of My Favorite Recycled Craft Tutorials

My favorite crafts to make are either with natural elements or recycled materials.  It is amazing to me how many different things you can actually make out of throw away materials.  I have found great uses for wine and coke bottles, six pack containers, old worn out sweaters, toilet paper tubes, bottle caps, dvd cases, wine corks, wood crates and even vintage hose nozzles.

It took me the longest to come up with a creative use for a dvd case, but this is one of my favorite tutorials:

1. I used the case to make a fly box.  It works perfectly for storing flies for fishing.
2. Some other things I have done are:
3. Turn an old wood crate into a fun flower box.
4. Transformed vintage hose nozzles into decorative photo holders.
5. Used wine and coke bottles to make rustic birch vases.
6. Made fun floating key chains out of wine corks.
7. Turned six pack containers into great usable craft storage.
8. Sewed a fun pillow using a worn out sweater.
9. Made a rustic magnet board and magnets using bottle caps.
10. And finally, transformed ugly toilet paper tubes into pretty napkin rings.

These are some of my favorites and you can click on the links to view the full tutorials and pictures.  If you have some of your own ideas, submit your link or comment under the appropriate recycled craft challenge.  Check out some of the great submissions other crafters have sent in too.  I will be continually adding more challenges so keep checking back.  If you have an idea for a challenge, let me know.  I love to get input :)

A Little Upcycle Of A Vintage Hose Nozzle

I'm looking forward to stopping at my favorite antique store this weekend when I go up north to my cabin.  If you remember from my last trip, I was very excited with my find of a vintage case full of buttons.

My husband and I had picked up several other items as well and I am happy to say that I've been able to make use of one of the items.  We don't always know what we are going to do with the items that we find, we just know that they look cool and should be incorporated into home decor in some way.

I found a use for the hose nozzles!  It was pretty simply and I even got to use some beads.  I made some fun photo holders:

This week I'm hoping to find a lot more items to work with.  This particular store has a lot of odds and ends that I don't normally see in antique shops so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Inspired By Birds - A Gallery Of Bird Crafts

I'm sitting here sipping my morning coffee and listening to the birds chirping a lovely song outside.  It puts a smile on my face, I think because with chirping birds comes the promise of Spring and warmer days.  Spring is definitely my most favorite time of the year and I like to create reminders of it for all year long.

I sat back to look at what I have created lately and was surprised by how many items I had incorporated birds into.  They are truly my biggest source of inspiration!

My latest project has this wonderful charm hanging from the chalk ledge!

I recreated a magazine page on a pillow, just highlighting the inspirational parts - Birds!

I almost forgot about the bird coasters!

He looks a little more like a chick!

This is one of my favorites!  In fact, I am in the process of making another one now :)

And, of course my journal!  What else would inspire my to use it?

Finally, I have made several bird houses.  I have many of them, like this one, displayed at our cabin. 

I am inspired by other things too but I will probably always throw in a bird craft now and then.